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Shadows of Destiny
by Aelyva
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Big thanks to Rachel and Madelaine who beta read for
me.
~*~*~*
Part Seven - A light in the dark
Sometimes, I feel like I'm in control, like I'm
turning back into my old self again. Then, I see those
images. Those images that seem to be reflections of my
past, but that look so unfamiliar in a way, but very
familiar in another. I keep yelling and screaming, but
no one hears me. My screams are now fading away. Maybe
I should just let happen what must be.
There is an evil and a good side in everyone.
Sometimes, one is stronger than the other. I think my
good side is the weaker. The evil in me is too strong.
I only wish that there could be something that can
help me. Something…or someone.
~*~*~
After a long moment of silence, Bryn finally decided
to turn around and face him. Something, somewhere
inside of her was telling her that she should thank
him for saving her life, but she refused to listen to
that something in her head. Simply refused. So she
lashed out. "How the hell did you get out?" she asked,
her voice cold.
At first, Sinbad was stunned by her reaction, but then
he remembered that she was the bad guy now. He
shrugged. It wasn't her fault. He was just happy he
arrived in time. He smiled at her as he remembered how
lucky he had been. "Simple. I leaned against the wall,
it opened up, happened to be a passage out, so I took
it and here I am!" He grinned.
Bryn frowned. The passage! Of course! How could she
forget about it? 'Stupid, stupid, stupid' she cursed.
She observed him angrily. He seemed to think it was
funny. "I didn't ask for your help. I didn't *need*
your help. I had everything under control."
Sinbad shook his head. "Oh, please. Scratch was going
to send you on a one-way trip to the death world, and
you know it. What bothers you so much is that I helped
you. Admit it." He silently hoped that Bryn would
finally return to being herself. He just needed a
little more time - more time and more effort. But he
knew he would succeed. It was his goal in life to help
people. And now, Bryn needed his help more than ever,
more than anyone else. He still wasn't sure how he'd
manage to bring her back to her old self, but he'd
find a way. There had to be a way...
Bryn knew he was right. But never would she admit it
to him. Never. She turned around and started to walk
away. He was beginning to become more troublesome.
Sooner or later, she'd have to get rid of him once and
for all. It was the right thing to do. 'Then why can't
you do it?' a little voice inside her head asked. 'Why
didn't you kill him the first time? Why have you asked
him to help you? Face it, Bryn. He has a power over
you. A power that could destroy the evil inside of
you. Even when you're evil, you still care about him.'
Lies. This is all lies. Don't you dare say such
horrible things to me. I am not going to listen to
you. You are just a stupid liar. I do not care for
him. I do not need him. He has no power over me. I can
destroy him if I want. I can kill him any time I want.
I will show you there is no more goodness in me. I
will show you evil always wins. I will show him. I
will show everyone that I am evil. I will destroy him.
I will.
'You won't' the voice in her head kept chanting. 'You
won't because you can't. You can't do anything against
him. You're not really evil. You just want to believe
you are. What have you done so far? You killed Karpan
and fought with Scratch. Two evil ones. You didn't
destroy a thing. The good part that is within you is
stronger than your dark side. Eventually, evil will
lose. You'll see.'
No. You will see. You will see that you are wrong. So
wrong. I am not good. I am all evil. Completely evil.
You want me to show you how evil I am? I will show
you. Just watch and learn how bad I can be.
Bryn suddenly faced Sinbad who still hadn't moved to
follow her. Her eyes became darker and darker by the
second. She stared at him, full of hate and anger. "I
am tired of you. I've just decided to get rid of you
right now, so you won't bother me anymore." She smiled
wickedly. "Then I will find your brother and your
little friends and kill them, slowly until they beg me
to end their miserable lives. After this, no one will
be able to stop me from destroying all goodness on
this planet." She started to laugh softly, her
laughter gradually becoming hysterical.
"You don't want to do this, Bryn. Listen to me,"
Sinbad said carefully, so as not to scare her. Since
she had turned evil, it was the first time he had seen
her acting so weird, so full of madness. It scared
him. Scared the hell out of him. He silently prayed it
wasn't too late.
Suddenly, the laugher stopped. Bryn walked closer to
him. "Listen to you? Listen to you*? I am not going
to listen to you anymore. Never again. Don't try to
trick me. It won't work this time, because I figured
out your little plan. Trying to turn me back into the
good ol' Bryn you knew…You are so naive! Don't you
understand that she's gone for good? Bye bye
goody-Bryn. I am Bryn now. You are just wasting your
time focusing your energy on me. And you'll end up
losing your life. What a pity!" She caressed his cheek
with her long-nailed finger. "Too bad I can't turn you
into evil. We could have formed a great team." She
then posed her finger on her cheek. "But business is
business." She cupped his face in her hands and forced
him to look up. "Look at the sky carefully because
it'll be the last time you're going to see it!" She
smirked and let go of him as she laughed.
~*~*~
Looking back a moment, Doubar could see the Nomad from
a distance. They were now in Basra. They were lucky
that a storm hadn't hit them. Sighing, he walked
faster to join up with Firouz and Rongar who had
walked ahead. They seemed in a hurry to arrive at
Caipra's house. He was too. He still thought it was
strange not to have his little brother around.
By the time he joined his friends, Firouz had already
knocked on the door. "I hope she's home," he declared
more for himself than for the others. Rongar nodded in
agreement.
The door slowly opened and the friendly features of
Caipra appeared. She smiled when she recognized them.
"It's Doubar, Firouz and Rongar! What a wonderful
surprise! Please, come in!" she invited.
They gladly entered the small house. She looked at
each of them, still smiling. "Any news about my
husband?" she asked, hopefully.
Firouz looked down a moment. "No…I'm sorry." He wished
he could say more to the woman. He could only imagine
what it was like to still hope for your loved one to
come back home after so long…
Caipra closed her eyes, and opened them almost
immediately; she smiled softly. "Don't be sorry. He
will return someday, when the time is right." She then
invited them to sit down. "So, what brings you here,
my friends? It has been awhile since I last saw you."
Doubar cleared his throat. "Sinbad sent us here."
~*~*~
Her eyes darkened as she began to form an energy ball
in her hand. Her eyes smiled at Sinbad, who didn't
seem frightened. Finally, he will die. 'That will
prove something to the annoying little voice in my
head who keeps telling me I can't kill him,' Bryn
thought, satisfied.
She took one last look at Sinbad. 'Too bad I have to
kill you, handsome. If I could have turned you evil,
we would have been one hell of a team.' She then
shrugged. 'But I shall enjoy killing you.'
Her energy ball was now fully formed in her hand.
"This is the end, Sinbad. Your end. Don't worry. I
will tell your brother before I kill him that you
begged for mercy like the weak and pathetic sailor you
are." As she was about to throw the ball, she suddenly
froze. The world around her darkened. She found
herself in another place, another time. Watching.
~*~*~
In horror, the little girl watched the knife getting
closer and closer to her. She wanted to scream, but no
sound came out. She wanted to run, but her tiny legs
refused to obey her. She didn't want to die. She was
too young to die. Kids of her age didn't die! They
grew up, got married,
had kids, lived happily ever after.
Fearfully, she looked at the two men. They were both
big and ugly. They looked as if they hadn't taken a
bath in more than five months, which was probably a
fact. They were going to kill her. She knew it. 'Do
something!' a voice yelled inside her head. But what
could she do? She couldn't defend herself. Angry that
she was so helpless against them, she fervently wished
that they could be hit by a tree and die. She froze
and clenched her eyes, waiting for the knife to strike
her heart. Her smiling mother appeared in her mind.
'Oh, mommy…Why did you throw me out? I need you so
much!'
A crashing sound startled her and she opened her eyes
quickly. The two men who were going to kill her were
now lying dead under a fallen tree. She began to
shake. "Just like I wished," the little girl stated
out loud. At this realization, she began to shake
more, unable to make it stop. "What did I do? What did
I do?" She kept repeating the same words over and over
again. Hysterical, she collapsed to the ground, tears
falling down her cheeks. "I killed them! I killed
them!"
Suddenly, she heard someone laughing. "W-Who's there?"
the girl asked, her voice trembling. She looked around
carefully, but saw no one, only trees. "Stop it!" she
ordered, trying to find the direction it came from. It
seemed to come from every direction at the same time.
"Bryn, Bryn, Bryn…Those tears are a waste. They
deserved to die…" the voice chanted softly. "They were
going to kill you. You defended yourself by killing
them first. You did the right thing."
"How-How did you know my name?"
"Because I am you. Bryn is you, and Bryn is I. I am in
your head, I am a part of you," the voice answered
happily. "You have great powers. Greater than you
could ever possibly imagine. They will grow with time.
This is just the beginning. Your mother threw you out
because she didn't want you anymore. She knew what
kind of person you really were and she stopped loving
you," the voice continued. "I care about you. No one
else does, and no one else ever will. I am the only
friend you can have. We'll share everything.
Everything."
Bryn put her hands on her ears. "My mommy loves me! I
will have friends that care about me! You're a liar.
Nothing but a liar! Go away! Go away! I don't want to
hear you anymore!" She screamed. But she could still
hear the voice, laughing at her.
"Bryn. You are a killer. How could people want to be
friends with you? Only I understand. Only I will ever
understand," the voice mocked.
"I'm not a killer! I didn't want this to happen!" Bryn
answered. Her heart started to beat faster in her
chest. She couldn't understand what was going on.
The voice laughed louder. "Of course you wanted it to
happen. That is why it happened. Because you wanted
it!" The voice paused a moment. When it spoke again,
no laugher could be heard. "Bryn, you are destined to
be evil, to be bad and hurt people. One day, you'll
become one of the most powerful witches of the dark
side. And when that day arrives, I will be there to
take control."
Bryn shook her head, keeping her hands on her ears.
"I'm not evil! I'm not! Go away! Leave me alone! Go
away!" She screamed as loud as she could. Falling on
her knees, she could feel the tears streaming down her
cheeks. She leaned against a tree, trying to make
herself as small as possible. The voice kept laughing
in her head. When would it stop? When would it go
away? Just shut up…shut up!
~*~*~
Bryn returned to reality. She noticed she was shaking.
Her energy ball had disappeared from her hand. Anger
rose inside her. Once again, for an unknown reason,
she failed to kill Sinbad. But before she could make a
move, the world became dark again and the last thing
she experienced was falling on the ground and hearing
someone scream her name.
As soon as he saw Bryn fall, Sinbad ran to her and
kneeled by her. He slowly caressed her face with his
fingers, his blue eyes full of worry. All the anger
had disappeared from her features and she now looked
tortured and scared. He wished he could take away what
was bothering her so much. He wished he could make the
evil in her go away. He wished so many things, but it
seemed his wishes were never going to come true.
'No.' Sinbad shook his head. He had to believe that
Bryn would return to her old self again. He made
himself the promise that he would bring her back, and
he always kept his promises. Carefully, he took her in
his arms and carried her to the shelter of a tree,
where he gently laid her down. He sat next to her, his
eyes not leaving her face. He just waited for her to
wake up.
~*~*~
Caipra nodded. "I have been feeling the changes that
have occurred in your travel companion, Bryn. This is
why you are here, am I right?"
"Well, yes I think that is why we are here. Sinbad
asked us to look for a woman named Shanna and we
thought that maybe you knew her. He didn't explain to
us why we needed to find her, but we guessed it was
because of Bryn," Firouz explained. If Caipra didn't
know, there was no way they could find her! Basra was
a big city and she could be anywhere…It could take
them months to find her and they didn't have that much
time on their hands.
"Shanna…Shanna…" Caipra repeated, slowly rolling the
name on her tongue. She knew she had heard that name
somewhere…but where? She frowned. She tried to
remember, searched her memory for the name. She was
ready to give up when suddenly. She smiled. "Yes, I've
heard of her. She has a great knowledge of Death. She
lives not far from here. Look for a bookshop just
down the street; she lives above it."
Doubar sighed in relief. "Thank you. Thank you so
much! You don't know how much this means to us…"
"But tell me before you leave…Why would you want to
see her? She's mostly a necromancer. A sorceress who
possesses magic wich involves death. Why do you need
to consult her?" Caipra asked, curious and also
worried. "Is there something you are not telling me,
Doubar?"
Doubar opened wide eyes, surprised. "Dealing with
death? Necromancer? Why did Sinbad want us to find
her?" He looked at Caipra. "Sinbad simply asked us to
find this woman. He didn't have the time to explain
why, since he had…things to take care of. Maybe he
thought she could help Bryn…"
Rongar shook his head. That didn't make sense. Bryn
wasn't dead. Well…maybe her goodness was, but did
Sinbad think this woman could resurrect the good part
of her? He shrugged. Sometimes, he would never
understand his Captain.
Mimicking Rongar, Caipra shook her head. "A
necromancer couldn't help your friend. In fact, magic
can't help her. So, I have no idea why he sent you to
see her…"
~*~*~
The silence enveloping the small town was suddenly
broken by the sound of a burst of flame. The silence
then returned. But the atmosphere had changed. It was
not as peaceful.
Scratch tried to control his breath, but it was hard
when all he could think of was those two…cowards! They
will learn that no one makes fun of Scratch and
survives. No one damages his body and lives. NO ONE.
He felt a fierce rage, such as he had never
experienced before, building inside of him. That bitch
was a betrayer. She had escaped this time, but he
would get her soon. Very soon. Karpan was a fool to
trust her. He was a fool to give her back her
memories. She would have been easier to kill if she
had still amnesia. And Sinbad…always had to be the
hero. If it wasn't for him…Bryn would be dead and he
would still have his hand.
"Wait until I find you…You should enjoy the present
moment because it will be the last you'll have!" He
couldn't control the rage inside of him. He had to let
it out. He looked around him. The town. Too peaceful.
Too beautiful. Too…good. A smile formed on his lips as
a huge flame appeared on his remaining hand. "Burn!"
He threw the flame at the nearest house and watched
excitedly as the flames devoured its wooden frame. He
prepared to form another flame when a soft laugh could
be heard.
"Scratch."
He groaned when he heard his name, and slowly turned
around. He tried to hide his surprise. "Well, well,
well…if it isn't the great and the so very bad
Rumina…"
Still laughing, Rumina walked closer to him. "You seem
surprised to see me. I guess it's understandable,
since I've been gone for so long." She crossed her
arms on her chest and glanced at him. "My poor
Scratch. You're in bad shape. And…you lost a hand? You
poor thing!"
He clenched his fit. "Watch your words, witch! I'm
still more powerful than you are!" He gave her an
arrogant look.
Rumina laughed, but her eyes kept their cold state.
"I've gained some power of my own since you last saw
me. And every good magic user needs both his hands to
cast powerful spells." She smirked. "What are you
going to do, Scratchy?
Scratch crossed his arms on his chest and smirked,
ignoring her last comment. "Bryn is back."
"I know." Rumina's eyes darkened. "She's with Sinbad.
It is a disgrace that she hangs out with
that…captain!" She spit on the last word as if it was
the worst insult. "I hate them both, but I hate him
even more. Maybe I could trick her into killing him,"
Rumina whispered, more to herself than for Scratch.
Scratch only laughed at that. "You're even more stupid
than I thought if you believe that your little plan
will work. Bryn isn't stupid. She already killed
Karpan and tried to kill me, which of course she'll
never be able to do. She'll probably go after you when
she knows you're here. Not that I care…"
"Don't underestimate her…or me as I matter of fact.
She's very capable of ending your miserable life and I
could always give her a hand…" Rumina smiled, a wicked
plan forming in her head. "You don't know what I've
been up to since our last…meeting."
Scratch just grunted. "Whatever. Now, if you'll excuse
me, I have a town to burn down."
Rumina shrugged and leaned against a nearby house. "Go
ahead, I'm not stopping you. I think I'll watch the
show."
~*~*~
Blink.
As she opened her eyes, Bryn could only feel a
terrible headache. All was a blur around her and she
couldn't remember where she was or what had happened.
She tried to move, but her body wasn't obeying her.
She waited impatiently, as her vision slowly returned
to normal. She then focused…and froze. She was lying
on the grass, her head resting on…Sinbad's lap. She
could feel his fingers in her hair. Her eyes grew wide
and she jumped to her feet, finally in control of her
body, ignoring the pain in her head. She narrowed her
eyes at Sinbad, her body shaking with anger. "What the
hell do you think you are doing?" she snapped. Her
hands wanted nothing more than to strangle him until
he begged and pleaded, and…
"You fainted."
She felt angrier at his soft words. She really needed
to destroy him before it was too late. Trying to stop
herself from shaking, she clenched her fit. "What were
you trying to do?"
Sinbad shrugged. "Nothing. You were the one trying to
kill me and then, you just fainted."
Bryn froze a moment. Now she remembered. She was about
to kill him when that…damn memory flashed in her mind.
Again. Worst possible timing. She kept a blank
expression, as she observed him in silence.
Sinbad frowned. "What happened? Why did you faint? Why
didn't you kill me?"
Bryn ignored him. But it was a good question. What
happened? Why was she having those...flashbacks now?
To make her remember…how good and weak she used to be.
Sinbad walked closer to her when he saw that she
wasn't answering. "Bryn…tell me."
Startled, she didn't move. He was so soft, so
sweet…'Disgusting, Bryn. He is disgusting. Remember
that,' the voice in her head chanted. Bryn could only
nod slowly but her eyes were locked into his blue
ones, hypnotized.
Sinbad suddenly stopped and looked at the smoke that
was coming from the village. "Oh my…The village is
burning!" Without another thought, he began to run.
And Bryn mechanically followed him.
Sinbad, with Bryn not far behind, arrived rapidly at
the fiery village. The villagers were screaming and
running away from the deadly red and searing flames.
Sinbad immediately noticed Scratch in the middle of
the town, looking at him, laughing. "A gift for you,
Sinbad. I hope you'll enjoy!" He then vanished, his
laugh echoing throughout the town.
Ignoring the demon, Sinbad ran to help the remaining
villagers to escape.
Bryn bit her lips. Why did she follow him? It's not
like she wanted to help. Bryn silently groaned.
Something was happening to her…and she hated it.
Unmoving, she watched as Sinbad helped a little boy to
escape his burning home.
Rumina, who was watching, grew furious with Sinbad's
rescue efforts. Because of him, everyone survived. He
had just ruined her day. Well, he was going to pay!
She waited until he was near a house. She spotted
burning ceiling beams threatening to collapse. Moving
her finger, caused the planks to fly at Sinbad,
crushing him under their weight.
Rumina smiled in satisfaction when she saw Sinbad,
immobile under the planks. She then misted away. It
wasn't that bad of a day after all
~*~*~
Lea wore a shocked expression on her face as she
watched, through her magic pool, Sinbad getting hit by
planks of wood. She then saw a woman disappearing, a
wicked smile on her face. "Bitch!"
"Who are you calling a bitch?"
Lea blinked as Sinbad materialized in front of her.
"You received a nasty hit on your head. If you're
here, that means you're unconscious."
Sinbad frowned, confused. "What hit me on the head?"
"You'll find out soon enough," Lea mumbled.
Sinbad shrugged. He wasn't going to get anything more
from her. He went to sit next to her. "Where's Maeve?"
"Don't know. She said she had business to take care
of…No idea what she was talking about." She then
glanced at him. "How are things going with Bryn?"
Sinbad sighed. "Not so good. I don't think I'll
succeed in bringing her back to the good side. She
doesn't let me get too close and she's determined to
kill me now. The evil in her won," he said, cynically.
Lea put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't talk like that!
You can't give up hope. I believe you have the power
to make her good again. You have to believe it too."
"I know, but it's getting harder and harder," Sinbad
whispered. He felt the strength leaving him slowly,
bit by bit. He couldn't win this fight. In the past,
good always found a way to beat evil, but not this
time. This time, he wouldn't be the last one to stand
up alive. He would be the first to go down. He felt
hope and faith fading away, leaving him helpless.
Sinbad couldn't stand to see Bryn like this and he
couldn't stand hearing her say she'd kill him. Even if
it wasn't really her, it was still her voice speaking,
her dark eyes looking at him…
Sinbad closed his eyes, wishing he could disappear
this very instant, wishing he would never wake up. But
no, he couldn't give up. He promised he'd bring Bryn
back and he would. He might die trying, but never
would he give up. Never. There had to be a way to
reach out to her. Sinbad opened his eyes and looked at
Lea. "She was going to kill me, but she fainted before
she could hit me. And when she woke up, she
looked…disoriented. The look in her eyes…"
Lea frowned. "She fainted? I wonder-" She stopped,
lost in her thoughts. She then blinked. "Maybe it was
her good side fighting, because it didn't want you to
die." If Lea was right, it was a good thing. A very
good thing.
~*~*~
Shaking his head, Doubar paced around the room. "If
Sinbad sent us here, it must be for a reason. Maybe he
didn't know that woman couldn't help…I don't even know
how he knew about her!"
Firouz nodded. "It just doesn't make any sense."
Caipra was about to answer, but she suddenly froze.
"Something…"
Firouz, Doubar, Rongar and Caipra stood stunned as
Maeve appeared to them, her image blurred.
"Maeve?" Firouz was the first one who recovered his
ability to talk.
Maeve nodded. "I don't have much time. I'm still
surprised it worked." She then glanced at the Nomad's
crew and Caipra. It was good to see them again. She
missed them so much. She felt so lonely where she was.
"I cannot explain everything because my time is
limited. You must find Shanna. Lea and I are stuck in
a place that is not heaven and Shanna is the only one
who can send us there. I don't think our sanity will
survive must longer if we stay there. Please, we need
your help. Sinbad promised us he would help."
"Lea," Doubar whispered, memories filling his mind.
The innocent little girl who had been his brother's
companion during his childhood. A girl who hadn't
deserved to die so soon. She never had the chance to
grow up, to see the world, to fulfill her dreams.
He felt tears coming to his eyes, so he closed them.
He remembered Sinbad's pain after she died. Sinbad had
barely dealt with their parents' deaths that he had to
deal with hers. Doubar wished he could have taken some
of his pain away. It wasn't fair for a young boy like
his brother to suffer so much, so young.
Pushing the tears away, he opened his eyes and looked
at Maeve. He nodded. "Don't worry, lass. We'll help
you. We'll find this woman, Shanna, and we'll help
you. You and Lea deserve to be in heaven."
Firouz and Rongar nodded, agreeing with Doubar.
Maeve could only smile, a feeling of sadness
overwhelming her as she thought she would never see
them again. Rongar, always silent, but still very
present. His eyes were talking for him. Someone you
could always count on. Firouz, probably the smartest
person she ever met. He was as much into his
inventions as she was into her magic. And Doubar, who
always had been like a big brother to her. Never would
she forget them. "Thank you."
~*~*~
Written: June 30, 2001
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